web hosting

cPanel Then and Now

cPanel is an award-winning control panel you will find offered in numerous web hosting plans.  Its web-based Graphical User Interface is designed to provide users with the ability to handle website administration with ease, a reason why this control panel is preferred by many novice users.

Owned and distributed by cPanel Inc., the software is intended for the use of commercial web hosting companies, meaning it requires the purchase of a license.  However, cPanel is available for certain entities at discounted prices.  For example, non-profit organizations such as educational institutions can obtain a cPanel license for a reduced cost and sometimes free.  Dedicated and managed hosting companies can also purchase licenses at a reduced price when installing the control panel with their operating system.  cPanel is platform specific and runs on the Linux operating system.  Some of the variations it supports include CentOS, Fedora, Mandiva, Red Hat and SUSE among others.

Brief History of cPanel

The cPanel software was originally designed for Speed Hosting, a web hosting company that is now defunct.  Speed Hosting eventually merged with Web King, another web hosting provider that began using the software.  From there, the new company moved its servers to VDI, (Virtual Development Inc.), a web hosting company that is no longer around as well.  An agreement was made and cPanel was only made available to customers hosting with VDI.  It was not until 1999 that cPanel became a significant force on the control panel market.

1999 marked the release of cPanel 3, a version that offered many new improvements, including the addition of WHM (Web Host Manager).  Version 3 underwent a few upgrades including bug fixes and a facelift that gave it the default theme we all know today.  Because of internal conflict between VDI and original developer Nick Koston, the software was divided into two separate control panels – cPanel and WebPanel, with the latter being used by VDI.  Koston went on to work with other web hosts before deciding to focus solely on cPanel.   Now on version 11, cPanel is stable, reliable and the most widely used control panel on the market.

cPanel Features

cPanel offers a great level of control to the end-user, allowing you to handle various operations such as managing files and FTP accounts, administering PGP keys, adding domain names and much more.  The software also supports a number of third-party applications, the most popular being Fantastico.  With Fantastico, you can install a wide variety of programs such as WordPress, phpBB, Drupal, Tiki Wiki, Joomla and more than 50 others.

cPanel sets itself apart from many web hosting control panels with the ability to manage applications independent of the operating system.  For example, it can be used to automatically apply upgrades to software packages like PHP, the MySQL database server and Apache web server.  This functionality helps web hosting companies make sure that packages are always up to date and remain compatible with cPanel.  The power and simplicity of this control panel makes it a number one choice for server administrators and end-users alike.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Ensim

Control panel software is a main fixture in today’s web hosting packages.  These programs are very important as they give you the ability to manage the essential features of your account from adding domains and creating emails accounts to setting up FTP accounts and performing web-based backups.  While cPanel is efficient and rightfully the leading the control panel software, this program is platform specific and can only be used in certain environments.

Ensim is one control panel available for Windows and Linux platforms.  This powerful software is able to cover a wide range of hosting needs from reseller and dedicated server accounts to providing solutions for small businesses and large enterprises.  Although Ensim does offer benefits over popular applications such as cPanel and Plesk, it does have a few drawbacks as well.

Advantages

The Ensim control panel gives you a well designed professional interface.  There are separate sections dedicated to various components for managing your hosting account.  Although most of  the essential features are made accessible on the screen, they are integrated nicely and serve as more than eye candy.

Unlike many control panels, Ensim supports a wide range of operating systems including Web and Standard versions of Windows along with Linux-based systems such as Fedora and RedHat.

Additionally, Ensim offers the same interface for all levels of control.  This enables familiarity for anyone that needs to use a control panel with a combination of root, reseller, end-user and mail user capabilities.

The Ensim control panel is powered by in-house software and doesn’t rely on third-party solutions.  One inclusion is Ensim Power Tools, a program that is comparative to the Fantastico script installer found on cPanel accounts.  Another Ensim tool is the built-in spam filter that performs well with the pre-installed webmail utility.  New versions also include comprehensive reporting tools for viewing critical resources and web stats.

Disadvantages

Despite its professional appearance, one of the biggest knocks on Ensim is that the interface is incredibly difficult to skin.  You can however, incorporate logos for your brand with relative ease.  In this regard, cPanel offers more extensive branding as Ensim has very few skins available.

Another disadvantage of Ensim is that it isn’t as widely installed as cPanel, a factor that presents challenges to the reseller.  This could be a turn off to potential clients who are not aware of the software and its capabilities.  Additionally, end-users may find the interface more difficult to navigate than the simple, yet user-friendly environment of cPanel.  Despite its professional structure, the newer versions of Ensim appear to be more geared for the experienced webmaster.  Fortunately, the software does offer tons of documentation to help you get more familiar with navigation and all the essentials.

Conclusion

As you can see, Ensim does have minimal drawbacks along with a plethora of features that make it a solid choice for web hosting.  The advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages as this control panel has the ability to do what others can’t.  Whether you are looking to dabble with shared hosting or something more flexible such as a VPS, the Ensim software can provide the tools needed to effectively manage your business.

Control Panels: cPanel vs. Ensim

What often sets web hosting companies apart is the software they offer to their clients.  Control panels are one of the most sought after software components and there are a wide variety available.  In this article we will focus on two of the leading control panel brands: cPanel and Ensim.

Advantages of cPanel

cPanel is perhaps the most widely used control panel and some even regard it as the best.  The clean user interface makes for easy navigation with icons that put everything a user needs right in front of them.  cPanel supports an array of network operating systems including Free BSD, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Redhat and Trustix.  This compatibility enables it to be used by almost any web host.  cPanel’s developers are currently looking to extend this portability by making the program compatible with Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.

The cPanel software makes it easy for the end-user to incorporate third-party programs into their web hosting account.  One of its most popular components is an add-on called Fantastico, a unique program developed by Netenberg.  Fantastico works as an automatic script installer, allowing the user to install a huge library of scripts with the simple click of a button.  Some of these scripts include highly functioning programs such as blogs, message forums, content management systems and much more.

The Downside of cPanel

It’s difficult for any software to be absolutely flawless and the same holds true for cPanel.  The biggest disadvantage relates to WHM (Web Host Manager), the version of cPanel designed for reseller accounts.  The layout used by both versions is completely different.  While the WHM interface is pretty straightforward, it can be confusing to resellers familiar with the conventional cPanel layout.  This makes cPanel somewhat unattractive when compared to other control panels that utilize the same interface for resellers and end-users.

Advantages of Ensim

The Ensim control panel offers a very professional and well designed client-side interface.  The main layout is divided into sections associated with numerous components of the hosting account.  Some of these areas include database management, email management and sub-domain management.  Several users have admitted that Ensim’s interface is far more organized and professional than that of cPanel.  This control panel supports an array of operating systems including Windows and Linux-based systems like Fedora and Redhat.

Ensim is feature-rich with an exceptional spam filter and its very own script installer that rivals Fantastico.  It also offers a number of helpful utilities such as the bandwidth reporting tool that provides detailed information in the form of charts and graphs.  Best of all, Ensim provides the same user interface for its reseller and end-user clients.

The Downside of Ensim

The Ensim control panel has a few minor drawbacks as well.  For one, the interface is incredibly difficult to skin, leaving users with fewer branding options.  While there is an option that enables seamless branding, the number of available skins are limited.  Moreover, Ensim is less known than cPanel.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that Ensim has a ways to go before it achieves cPanel’s popularity.

Conclusion

As you can see, both control panels are extremely functional with minimal drawbacks.  However, they do have varying features that distinguish them significantly.  If you’re looking for a winner, we’re not in the position to declare one.  The best solution is one that provides features best suited for your site.  Therefore, we recommend both.